# VI: Taken Prisoner explained — Les Misérables

> Chapter companion for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

Marius, seated on his usual bench in the Luxembourg garden, is startled when M. Leblanc and his daughter approach and pass near him. The young girl gazes at him with a pensive sweetness, igniting an intense passion in Marius. He becomes euphoric, distracted, and deeply in love, spending time with Courfeyrac and behaving uncharacteristically. The chapter explores the overwhelming power of a glance and the onset of a grand passion.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Compassion

Marius experiences the overwhelming onset of romantic love, described as a 'grand passion' ignited by a single glance, transforming his thoughts and actions.

### The Human Condition and Fate

The chapter reflects on fate and the mysterious forces of passion, portraying love as an inescapable chain that seizes a person's entire being.

## Character check-ins

### Marius Pontmercy

Marius is deeply affected by a glance from the young girl in the Luxembourg garden, falling into a state of passionate love and euphoria.

### M. Leblanc

M. Leblanc walks with his daughter through the Luxembourg garden, passing near Marius.

### Ursule

The young girl (M. Leblanc's daughter) gazes at Marius with a pensive sweetness, sparking his intense love.

### Courfeyrac

Courfeyrac dines with Marius and accompanies him to the theatre, noting Marius's unusual behavior.

### Jean Prouvaire

Jean Prouvaire is present at the Café Voltaire and comments on Marius's serious state of mind.

## Key lines

> All at once he started. An event was taking place at the other extremity of the walk. Leblanc and his daughter had just left their seat, and the daughter had taken her father’s arm, and both were advancing slowly, towards the middle of the alley where Marius was.

Marius suddenly noticed that M. Leblanc and his daughter were walking toward him in the garden.

_This moment marks the beginning of Marius's intense emotional reaction._

> She gazed steadily at him, with a pensive sweetness which thrilled Marius from head to foot.

The young girl looked at Marius with a thoughtful tenderness that deeply moved him.

_The glance is the catalyst for Marius's passionate love._

> A glance is a spark. It was all over with him. Marius loved a woman. His fate was entering the unknown.

A single look ignited Marius's love, and his destiny was now uncertain.

_The narrator emphasizes the transformative power of a glance._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters/vi-taken-prisoner
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters